Progressive Instrumental Vinyl Review: The Hallucinant Telepherique-Call of The Resonant Star

Release Date: April 1, 2022

Label:  Erratic Music

Website

That fantastic and versatile sibling team of Gino Montoya (Guitars) Sergio Montoya (Drums, Bass, Keyboards, Guitars) are back on the progressive music radar with their third embodiment of The Hallucinant Telepherique. I know that is quite a mouthful but a genius name for a group. The latest effort is titled Call of The Resonant Star. It keeps them on track for their sci-fi storylines and more esoteric subjects.

They always release a limited number of copies (500) of the recordings on vinyl. And it sounds incredible. You all knew I was going to say that, didn't you? Well, it is true; most music does sound better on vinyl. When it's all progressive instrumental, it is a party of assorted ear candy.

Side one starts with "No Third." It begins with a layer of keyboards that follow the pace and changes that the guitar offers. They go from fast and furious to quirky and complex. That is their template for this band, and it never fails to entertain. The keys are a nice touch and give some space and order to the otherwise extreme changes. It is a classic prog instrumental track and a great way to open the curtain to more.

The title track "Call of The Resonant Star" is the magnum opus clocking in at 12:02. What you hear is everything that they can produce in one track. A nice acoustic guitar starts with a gentle keyboard passage, and then they are blasting off the launching pad into a more aggressive-driven style. Jazz flavored guitar lines enter the mix with more keys and more muscular guitar work. I was reminded of Al DiMeola's electric phase (Electric Rendezvous is my favorite). A multitude of changes is the goal here and a different kind of segue into heavy bass and more of the jazz-prog keys. What an amazing slice of music!

"Spider" is a shorter track at 5 minutes, but in the realm of prog, that is the norm for one that is not extended, such as the previous track. It closes out side one with a light and airy atmosphere, some great bass, and some nice blended guitars. Keys are in the spotlight, and I couldn't help myself; Chick Corea came to mind more than once. The keys that drank too much energy drink imitates a spider on the move going in for the kill.

Side two opens with "The Unread Letter" (4:54). It sounds like a soundtrack to conflicting emotions reaching an apex. Then it all stops and changes course with the entrance of a bass line to drive it all along further. It is like a dream state of pensiveness, then back to a more energetic path of swirling emotions and all the color they hold and ever-changing, then to the finale of musical fireworks. It is instrumental genius from where I sit.

"Turn" offers some lovely Latin flavored picking to start some nice rhythms between several different musical passages of joy and excellent instrumentation. At times it is intense and complex to a lighter instrumental road with some of those melting synth sounds for that sci-fi effect. I could liken it to a classic sci-fi movie like the original The Day the Earth Stood Still. That came to mind and this music ignites those kinds of images in your mind.

"Penumbra" (4:17) has a very mellow start with the soft guitar sounding very Yes like. 70s prog but reinvented with some jazz-infused guitar to follow it up. That distinct synth with the prog-rock flavor adds more ingredients to the classic sound. Things change to the more aggressive side of the coin towards the end, with sharp guitar licks shredding the air you breathe and cascading to the finish line.

Relearn (3:38) closes the curtain on this magnificent display of musical prowess. It is under 4 minutes; can you imagine that? The drive-it-home bass line enters the mix, and some fast keys and guitars get hard at work. A very compact moving composition that is all organized to close out the proceedings.

Call of The Resonant Star is a masterful collection of musical diversity that should not be missed.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-Progressive Music Reviews Founder

March 15, 2022

Side One:
01. No Third (4:21)
02. Call Of The Resonant Star (12:02)
03. Spider (5:00)

Side Two:
04. The Unread Letter (4:54)
05. Turn (6:48)
06. Penumbra (4:17)
07. Relearn (3:38)

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Progressive Instrumental Review: Divus-Aureola

Release Date:  8^th August 2013 
Label: Independent 
Website
 

This arrival for review was definitely one of those that would be found in the “that’s a band I’ve not heard of before” file. The band is called Divus, hails from Solothurn Switzerland, and the debut release is an album entitled Aureola.There are a few great Swiss bands around at the moment, with Zenit, Dawn and Diaphonic all being featured on the radio show recently, as was a track from Divus recently.

The band themselves describe their music as “relaxing, emotional, inspiring sound with a touch of wrath.” The music produced by the band is instrumental and is influenced by many artists, including, Tool, Pink Floyd and Dream Theater. The result of each of the individual members possessing different influences produces a unique sound which comes about by placing those influences into a large container and then letting them mix and blend together before drip feeding the results out. It is also important to the band that each piece of music has the ability to evolve through different moods to be expressed properly, hence the longer track running times. Divus look upon each track as a musical journey that invites the listener to become immersed in the aural soundscape that they are serving up.

Divus is a 4 piece band from Solothurn, which is in the north west of Switzerland. Although only three members were involved in the production of the debut album, Aureola, Simon Roth (drums), Sahin Dogan (guitars) and Rob Meroni (guitars), they have now added Marc on bass. 

Aureola is a 6 track album with a running time of around 69 minutes. The tracks are all relatively long, with track 6, “Mosaic III,” the shortest on offer at just short of 9 minutes (8:49) and track 2, “Anima,” the longest, playing for 17:42 minutes.

The opening track on Aureola, “Vates” (11:24) certainly grabs your attention from the word go. The track is quickly into some chunky guitar riffing with driving drums underpinning the sound, and progresses at full speed. Just after the 2 minute mark, there is a little relaxation in the music, with some terrific playing and then just the guitar and drums with some exquisite little melodic moments going on before the other guitar brings in the chunky riffs again and the track has seamlessly built up in intensity. After around 4 minutes there is a superb guitar passage which again varies in tempo effortlessly to leave a solo guitar backed by drums. The drummer then gets a little time in the spotlight before the other guitar reappears. The track weaves from the chunky riffing to the melodic guitar work and certainly gives the drummer plenty to do throughout the 11+ minutes. It is this evolving of the track that maintains the interest, with fast metal sections, slower superb melodic passages and a distinct lack of “metronomic” drumming, which for me, is a huge plus point. This is a terrific entry to Aureola, which then moves onto the longest track on offer.

“Anima” (17:42) has both guitars playing melodic passages which fit  like a “well worn” glove and the drums just edge their way into the proceedings before the chunky riffing heralds the driving drums back and the track builds after the opening 1:30 minutes. There are subtle time changes before the guitars get a chance to fly again and the track starts to ebb and flow from the “full on” to the more “laid back” approach. All too soon you realize that around 18 minutes have passed and track 3 is almost on you. “Awakening” (11:41) has the same trademarks that have gone before with that seamless movement from the light to the darker and back.

The last 3 tracks form a three piece suite with “Mosaic I” (8:51), “Mosaic II” (11:30) and “Mosaic III” (11:49), which surely nods in the direction of Pink Floyd, after a really gentle guitar melody backed by “shimmering” drums starts Mosaic I and then moves into a guitar, bass and drum building up of the track. This first part of “Mosaic” was featured on the radio show recently and is simply stunning. “Mosaic II” takes the “theme” up a level or two, but maintains that link to the “floydesque” sound. The final part of the suite, “Mosaic III” has a gentler starting point which builds to a whole band wall of noise before highlighting some excellent guitar work. Some superb guitar playing, with only a very simple background, brings the level down a notch and you get a chance to relax a little before the drums become more insistent and one of the guitarists “lets rip” a little. The track thunders along at full throttle until around 2 minutes from the end when a superbly atmospheric passage picks up to take the track out.

Here we have three musicians who are totally in sync and certainly seem to be enjoying themselves. I found the album superbly enjoyable as they show stunning skill and have the ability to create such aural paintings of light and shade that it is impossible not to be drawn in and immersed in the music. I can even forgive them a few instances of “metronomic” drumming, which I normally find an instantly irritating sound.

Aureola is a stunning debut album which gets better with every listen and deservedly gets both the “One to Buy” and “The Experience will last Forever” stickers on the album cover and an almost perfect score of 4.5 which leaves them a target to aim at with album No 2.

4.5/5 Stars

Key Tracks: Vates, Mosaic I, Mosaic II

Tracks:Vates
Anima
Awakening
Mosaic 1
Mosaic 2
Mosaic 3

Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson-Sr. Reviewer Prog Rock Music Talk

June 18, 2014

Review Provided By Prog Rock Music Talk

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Progressive Instrumental Review: Divus-Aureola

Release Date:  8^th August 2013 
Label: Independent 
Website
 

This arrival for review was definitely one of those that would be found in the “that’s a band I’ve not heard of before” file. The band is called Divus, hails from Solothurn Switzerland, and the debut release is an album entitled Aureola.There are a few great Swiss bands around at the moment, with Zenit, Dawn and Diaphonic all being featured on the radio show recently, as was a track from Divus recently.

The band themselves describe their music as “relaxing, emotional, inspiring sound with a touch of wrath.” The music produced by the band is instrumental and is influenced by many artists, including, Tool, Pink Floyd and Dream Theater. The result of each of the individual members possessing different influences produces a unique sound which comes about by placing those influences into a large container and then letting them mix and blend together before drip feeding the results out. It is also important to the band that each piece of music has the ability to evolve through different moods to be expressed properly, hence the longer track running times. Divus look upon each track as a musical journey that invites the listener to become immersed in the aural soundscape that they are serving up.

Divus is a 4 piece band from Solothurn, which is in the north west of Switzerland. Although only three members were involved in the production of the debut album, Aureola, Simon Roth (drums), Sahin Dogan (guitars) and Rob Meroni (guitars), they have now added Marc on bass. 

Aureola is a 6 track album with a running time of around 69 minutes. The tracks are all relatively long, with track 6, “Mosaic III,” the shortest on offer at just short of 9 minutes (8:49) and track 2, “Anima,” the longest, playing for 17:42 minutes.

The opening track on Aureola, “Vates” (11:24) certainly grabs your attention from the word go. The track is quickly into some chunky guitar riffing with driving drums underpinning the sound, and progresses at full speed. Just after the 2 minute mark, there is a little relaxation in the music, with some terrific playing and then just the guitar and drums with some exquisite little melodic moments going on before the other guitar brings in the chunky riffs again and the track has seamlessly built up in intensity. After around 4 minutes there is a superb guitar passage which again varies in tempo effortlessly to leave a solo guitar backed by drums. The drummer then gets a little time in the spotlight before the other guitar reappears. The track weaves from the chunky riffing to the melodic guitar work and certainly gives the drummer plenty to do throughout the 11+ minutes. It is this evolving of the track that maintains the interest, with fast metal sections, slower superb melodic passages and a distinct lack of “metronomic” drumming, which for me, is a huge plus point. This is a terrific entry to Aureola, which then moves onto the longest track on offer.

“Anima” (17:42) has both guitars playing melodic passages which fit  like a “well worn” glove and the drums just edge their way into the proceedings before the chunky riffing heralds the driving drums back and the track builds after the opening 1:30 minutes. There are subtle time changes before the guitars get a chance to fly again and the track starts to ebb and flow from the “full on” to the more “laid back” approach. All too soon you realize that around 18 minutes have passed and track 3 is almost on you. “Awakening” (11:41) has the same trademarks that have gone before with that seamless movement from the light to the darker and back.

The last 3 tracks form a three piece suite with “Mosaic I” (8:51), “Mosaic II” (11:30) and “Mosaic III” (11:49), which surely nods in the direction of Pink Floyd, after a really gentle guitar melody backed by “shimmering” drums starts Mosaic I and then moves into a guitar, bass and drum building up of the track. This first part of “Mosaic” was featured on the radio show recently and is simply stunning. “Mosaic II” takes the “theme” up a level or two, but maintains that link to the “floydesque” sound. The final part of the suite, “Mosaic III” has a gentler starting point which builds to a whole band wall of noise before highlighting some excellent guitar work. Some superb guitar playing, with only a very simple background, brings the level down a notch and you get a chance to relax a little before the drums become more insistent and one of the guitarists “lets rip” a little. The track thunders along at full throttle until around 2 minutes from the end when a superbly atmospheric passage picks up to take the track out.

Here we have three musicians who are totally in sync and certainly seem to be enjoying themselves. I found the album superbly enjoyable as they show stunning skill and have the ability to create such aural paintings of light and shade that it is impossible not to be drawn in and immersed in the music. I can even forgive them a few instances of “metronomic” drumming, which I normally find an instantly irritating sound.

Aureola is a stunning debut album which gets better with every listen and deservedly gets both the “One to Buy” and “The Experience will last Forever” stickers on the album cover and an almost perfect score of 4.5 which leaves them a target to aim at with album No 2.

4.5/5 Stars

Key Tracks: Vates, Mosaic I, Mosaic II

Tracks:Vates
Anima
Awakening
Mosaic 1
Mosaic 2
Mosaic 3

Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson-Sr. Reviewer Prog Rock Music Talk

June 18, 2014

Review Provided By Prog Rock Music Talk

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